Aberrant RNA homeostasis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: potential for new therapeutic targets?

CJ Donnelly, JC Grima, R Sattler - Neurodegenerative disease …, 2014 - Future Medicine
Neurodegenerative disease management, 2014Future Medicine
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by
progressive motor neuron degeneration. The disease pathogenesis is multifaceted in that
multiple cellular and molecular pathways have been identified as contributors to the disease
progression. Consequently, numerous therapeutic targets have been pursued for clinical
development, unfortunately with little success. The recent discovery of mutations in RNA
modulating genes such as TARDBP/TDP-43, FUS/TLS or C9ORF72 changed our …
Summary
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor neuron degeneration. The disease pathogenesis is multifaceted in that multiple cellular and molecular pathways have been identified as contributors to the disease progression. Consequently, numerous therapeutic targets have been pursued for clinical development, unfortunately with little success. The recent discovery of mutations in RNA modulating genes such as TARDBP/TDP-43, FUS/TLS or C9ORF72 changed our understanding of neurodegenerative mechanisms in ALS and introduced the role of dysfunctional RNA processing as a significant contributor to disease pathogenesis. This article discusses the latest findings on such RNA toxicity pathways in ALS and potential novel therapeutic approaches.
Future Medicine